BlogHer - cars - Comments

We share driving karma

geekgirl — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:49:47 -0500

I discovered that I learned cursewords from riding around in the car with my dad, when I heard my two year old say, "son of a bitch," when I was cut off. She sounded just like dad.

No one is fining me. That's a good thing.

Christine

http://froginnorthgeorgia.com/

#2 Fill up slow? No! Exactly the opposite !

crgwllms — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 12:13:30 -0500

I don't believe this is true because petrol fumes aren't caused by agitation. The speed of the flow doesn't have anything to do with creating fumes...they happen because of the evaporative nature of fuel, and the relative density of the atmosphere above the liquid. Actually, speed DOES have a lot to do with it....the faster you can get the fuel in and whack the cap on the tank, the less is going to evaporate into the atmosphere! So I actually believe you should do the total opposite of tip 2!

The Farmer and I were just

the farmers wife — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 07:36:00 -0500

The Farmer and I were just discussing the fact that when we were kids NO ONE had a second car. Of course that meant my mom and her contemporaries were stranded at home all day long. Shopping trips were always pre-planned - on Friday night because Friday was paycheck day. There were also alot of in home deliveries at that time (the 1950's). We had a bread man and a milk man. There was no need for soccer mom cares because there were no organized sports. It was great! Our sports consisted of a ball and bat and an empty field.

Imagine my surprise when we moved to a place were there was a huge open field next to our home. It stood empty for years. I couldn't believe it. Back in the day that field would have been confiscated by neighborhood kids, and the path between the baselines would have been worn bare within a week.

Suzanne, the Farmer's Wife

www.ToHaveAndToHoldHostage.co

Claudia Broome — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:55:43 -0500

www.ToHaveAndToHoldHostage.com

www.DivorceForStayAtHomeMoms.com

www.MothersDayBook.com

Us too

raava — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:56:42 -0500

We are also in the process of downsizing from a minivan to a smaller car. We can no longer justify commuting in something that costs us so much to fill with gas, besides the large footprint we're leaving by driving a seven passenger vehicle with only two people in it five days a week. The only trouble we're having is finding a car comfortable enough for our five person family and fuel efficient at the same time. We have a sixteen year-old, who doesn't come with us very much anymore, but still when she does come along we want all the kids to fit without having to sit on each other's laps. We've just about settled on the Saturn Astra, which seats five pretty comfortably and has plenty of trunk room as well.

I can't wait to drive a little car again, as I've been a van driving "soccer mom" for a lot of years!

~Vicky B
Procrastamom

one car here

AmandaA — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 01:42:30 -0500

We only have one car in our family. I drop hubby off at work so I can do anything that needs to be done during the day, he then gets a ride home from a co-worker

I wish

littleerca — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 10:18:18 -0500

It would be WONDERFUL if I thought it was possible for my family to get by with one vehicle, but with my husband being in the Army he sometimes needs to travel and keep a vehicle with him for weeks at a time. I also have 2 little kids that would not enjoy a 2 mile walkt o and then from the grocery store.

With gas prices being almost $4 a gallon I would love to rely on public transportation and my own 2 feet instead of my van, but where I live that is not an option. We sure don't go places like we used to though!

Using the car more often

Stevenbrycesmom — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 10:29:26 -0500

We have an SUV that I would love to get rid of right now. I think it was the dumbest purchase we ever made. 6 yrs ago it sounded like the only solution for kids, sporting equipment and hauling stuff. Within the next 3 yrs we will have to replace DH's car and we are thinking of going with a Prius. He travels about 30 miles a day for work and this would be a God send for us.

Jess Mom to Thing 1 and Thing 2 CEO of Knight INC.

Key is fewer kids

nadiarl — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 09:39:59 -0500

It seems like the biggest factor in a family's ability to downsize to just one car is the number of kids they have. My husband and I are currently on our own and are contemplating the 1 car/1 scooter deal. It helps that southern California has pretty nice weather for non-car transport. I am confident this will work because San Luis Obispo is so damn small, about 3.5 miles from the farthest reach of town to the other end. Kudos to the poster in Wisconsin who is considering ditching the second car, that is brave. Now if Amtrak can get their act together and make the trains run within an hour of the schedule.

no car family

washwords — Fri, 23 May 2008 23:21:20 -0500

okay, granted, I'm single, no kids, live in the city (walking distance of work) so it may be lots easier for me than most ... but I loVE not having a car . It's one of the real things I will miss, if and when the BF and I take the "next step", something I'm SO excited about but... I will miss this life, walking /busing / 'troing everywhere and never needing or missing the car, really ever!

When I was dating, I ran across so many people to whom this was a completely foreign concept and they baffled me. And I grew up where there was essentially ONE bus (no public transport mecca). One fellow asked me "what do you do when it rains?" he was serious.

washy || http://washwords.wordpress.com || washwords.dc@gmail.com

When my husband and I first

Emilyanne — Tue, 13 May 2008 12:17:27 -0500

When my husband and I first got married, we had two cars. Both of us had communtes of more than an hour, and they were in opposite directions. Hey, when you're fresh out of college you take what you can get! :)

We downsized to one car when I had my first son and decided to stay home. My husband drove it to work four days a week and telecommuted the fifth day, which allowed me to do errands. We also live close enough to the post office and a park to walk there, so we did get out of the house! This worked well for us for three years.

Now, with a third baby on the way (three car seats won't fit in the Corolla!) and my husband changing jobs (no telecommuting option) we did buy a second car - a minivan. It is strange to suddenly have the option of driving on any day, and yet not want to drive EVER because it costs me $75 to fill the gas tank!

Ideally I'd love to just do all the errands on one day (along with the trip to the park/library/Mom's group!) but with two toddlers who need morning and afternoon naps, that just isn't possible. I think the best I can do at this point is make sure that I group my errands by location and try to keep driving as much to a minimum as possible.

Oh, and about public transportation? My husband is a HUGE fan of it and if possible would take it to work every day. Sadly, we live in an area with very poor coverage, and taking a bus would mean over two hours of commute time EACH WAY. Which just isn't feasible since he wants to actually see us occasionally. :) We hope that our city planners will add better public transit in the near future.

Does a 20 yr. old car count?

nikkik — Sat, 10 May 2008 18:31:00 -0500

We used to own 2 SUVs until our lease was up on the Trailblazer and were given my Mom's 20 year old Volvo Station Wagon. We drive it back and forth to the dump and church (3.5 mls. each way) where my husband is a Pastor. Sometimes it goes a little further, but it really likes to drive around town. It's a great car and I feel SO safe in it. But it does make things more convenient.

This February we had a 100 year RAIN storm up here in New England and our driveway was washed away. Our friends called it the "Grand Canyon," and wanted to bring their kids over to see the power of water. During that time, "Black Beauty" (that's what my Mom called the car) was stuck at the top of the driveway until the Grand Canyon was filled in. During winter we are stuck inside more and so having one car only seemed to present a problem a few times.

But, now that it's summer, I don't think we could go back (nor do I want to give up Black Beauty)! We are 35 minutes from any major town so if one of us needs to make a trip, the other is stuck.

So that's my answer - we're sticking with 2. The gas-guzzling SUV and the tank.

~Nikki

http://www.techietutor.wordpress.com

We've discussed it...

Ewokgirl — Sat, 10 May 2008 18:02:09 -0500

Last night as we were driving into Dallas, we were talking about this very subject. We agreed that it just wouldn't make sense for us right now to go down to one car. Our cars are both paid for, and they're both fuel efficient. The money saved on insurance would be made up for with extra gas costs. As a SAHW, I would want the car 1-2 days a week so I can run errands and such. That would mean driving my husband to work in Dallas, then driving home, then repeating it all when it's time for him to come home. That's just as wasteful as using 2 cars.

While our town is pedestrian and biker friendly, it would still be difficult to do. For one, the heat here is unbearable during the day. Walking or bike riding in it would be an instant migraine. The second reason is that no place has bike racks. You can ride to the library or the grocery store, but then you risk having your bike stolen without a rack to lock it to.

My husband has looked into public transportation, but he learned that it would take him 2 hours to get to work, then another 2 to come home. That's 4 extra hours out of his day just to travel by bus and/or light rail. Our public transport system isn't big enough to deal with all the suburbs. What's more, most suburbs vote against having it in the first place when the opportunity for expansion is presented. People are still too in love with their SUVs and wealthy-image lifestyles to convert to using public transportation.

In theory, one car sounds great. Very socially conscious. But the reality is that most American cities aren't set up for people to be without cars.

http://www.marriedtotheempire.blogspot.com/

Down To 1

worldsgreatestmommy — Sat, 10 May 2008 16:28:57 -0500

We've got only 1 car that I, as personal chauffeur, use to haul everyone around. My husband hitches a ride or uses public transit to get to the school where he teaches about 15 miles away.

It takes coordinating things on the weekend, and I'll admit there are times it's annoying, but when we looked at buying another car we were way turned off by the thought of a car payment, extra insurance, and most of all...gas. As it is now, my husband just chips in on gas money. We save a ton.

Sarah

World's Greatest Mommy?

http://worldsgreatestmommy.blogspot.com

Biking more often/access to good trails and roads is key

Susan Doherty — Sat, 10 May 2008 16:06:07 -0500

I just got off my bike after running errands so really enjoyed reading this sequence. I'm trying to pull my bike out more often as a means of getting exercise and reducing my carbon footprint. I agree that access to biking trails and lanes is the key to encouraging more cycling. My town has done a fairly good job of including bike lanes on many of the roadways, but they don't always keep them clear of rocks, dirt and other debris. Not so bad when I'm on my mountain bike, but a bit sketchy when I'm on my road bike with super skinny tires.

We do have two vehicles, but one is quite old (a '92) and long-ago paid off. We just purchased a new car (to replace my husband's which was totaled this winter) and it was definitely the first time we bought one with both of us in mind, as opposed to this is my car - that is your car. My husband is a carpenter so we needed something big enough for his tools and powerful enough to pull his work trailer. We are also waiting on an adoption, so wanted something that would be kid and family-friendly. The '92 has no airbags so this was critical. We settled on the Toyota Hylander Hybrid and absolutely love it.

I work out of the house, so don't have a great need for a car. For a while, i was hung up on needing the car to drive to client meetings, simply so I could dress professionally. I got over that pretty quickly and decided that the clients who didn't support cycling might not be clients I wanted to count among my own. My wardrobe may be a bit more casual as a result, but I'm willing to suck up a few wayward glances at my helmet head and rolled up pant leg. After reading the comments here, i realized that we are (consciously or not) slowly moving toward becoming a one car family. It will be interesting to see how this plays out when our child arrives. Sounds like many of you with kids are making it work.

Susan Doherty

Six Minute Style